learn how to make a directional antenna using a tin can

f you read Chapter 1, you'll learn how to make a Wi-Fi Antenna Cable that can be used to connect an external antenna to your Wi-Fi card or Access Point. In this chapter, we'll teach you how to build an antenna and put the cable from chapter 1 to good use. While there are many commercial antennas available on the market today, they can be expensive. And hey, let's face it, attaching a commercial antenna to your Wi-Fi network will not turn heads like making your own will.

There are several different types of antennas that you can build. The most famous Wi-Fi antennas are made from either a coffee can or a Pringles potato chip can. In this chapter you learn how to build your own antenna from a regular, metal coffee can. You will be able to build it quickly and cheaply. As an added bonus, you will have lots of coffee which will come in handy in staying awake for the other projects in this book.

There are two popular types of homebrew Wi-Fi can antennas, the Pringles can antenna and the tin can antenna. They both have the same means to an end-increase signal strength in one direction-but they differ radically in operation and construction.

The Pringles can antenna is actually a Yagi antenna with a Pringles can covering used to mount the antenna components. You may recall from Chapter 2 that a Yagi antenna uses a single element as a radiator, with additional metallic elements. A single reflector element and multiple director elements help to shape the beam into a directional pattern.

In fact, the Pringles can isn't really a can, it's just a cylindrical cardboard container. Figure 3-1 shows the internal components of the Pringles can antenna. The primary components are the radiator and the beam-shaping elements. All other components serve to hold the antenna together in the correct position for best efficiency.

Figure 3-1click on image for full view

While the Pringles can is merely a shell, the tin can is the actual antenna on a tin can antenna. This is because the tin can antenna is a "waveguide" antenna (see Figure 3-2.) That is, the size, shape, and electrical conductivity of the tin can acts upon the radio frequency signals. When you place a small radiator in the right location, the dimensions of the can itself will shape the beam and light up the sky.

Figure 3-2click on image for full view

Note: A waveguide is a type of radio frequency (RF) transmission path. Where low frequency systems can use copper wires like that used in your car radio, high frequency RF will sometimes use waveguides to route high-power, high-frequency signals. Military radar systems often use waveguide transmission lines.

Understanding waveguides

A waveguide is a type of transmission line, like coaxial cable (see Figure 3-3.) But, unlike coaxial cables, waveguides can carry microwave frequencies with almost no loss. RF energy as high as 60 gigahertz or higher travel easily through a waveguide conduit. A waveguide is constructed from metal in a very specific size and shape, usually rectangular. It is also very costly to manufacture, install, and can be difficult to maintain. Because it's made from metal, and must be of exact dimensions, waveguide transmission lines are very rigid.

Figure 3-3click on image for full view

Waveguides exploit a very interesting aspect of electromagnetic RF energy: The duality of electromagnetism. Electromagnetic energy is composed of an electric field and a magnetic field (hence the name). In a coaxial wire, these fields are present along the center conductor and reflected from the outer shield. In a waveguide, these two fields travel along the waveguide without the need for a center conductor. The inner surface of the waveguide essentially directs the signal through the empty space of the interior itself. Waveguide theory breaks apart all of the elements of radio frequency transmission. The details are quite complicated and can fill volumes. For this book, the important thing to note about waveguides is that size and shape of the waveguide itself is important, and placement of the radiator inside the waveguide is important.

Constructing a waveguide transmission line is difficult. To use a waveguide antenna, however, is a snap. You only need a short portion of the waveguide path to make an antenna. And Wi-Fi frequencies dictate a size and shape that is easily available at any grocery store.

Sizing a waveguide antenna

As you know, a waveguide needs to be of specific dimensions. The waveguide antenna, therefore, must be the correct size for the frequency you are working with. In this case, you are working with Wi-Fi operating in the 2.4 GHz band.

Let's size this antenna for the middle of the band at channel 6, which has a frequency of 2.437 gigahertz (see the frequencies in table 1-2 in Chapter 1.) With proper construction this antenna should operate well across all Wi-Fi frequencies from Channel 1 to Channel 14.

To ensure a can that's sized well, it should follow these approximate dimensions. See Figure 3-4 for a diagram of these important dimensions.

For this project, you can use just about any smallish coffee can. There are a couple of things you have to keep in mind: it has to be a metal can and it should be close to the dimensions noted in the previous section. Remarkably, Maxwell House and Folgers Coffee cans are the exact dimensions needed for this project. The ounces (or grams) measurements vary somewhat from 11.5 oz. (368 g) to 13 oz. (326 g) because they are measuring weight. But the can dimensions are identical for these two brands and probably many more.

To find the right can, go to your local grocery store with a tape measure or ruler and measure the cans on the shelf. The store personnel might look at you funny. Just tell them you are buying some coffee to make your Internet access go further. In choosing your coffee, remember that one can makes a lot of cups of coffee to drink.

You really have two choices; you can dump the coffee or keep a pot of coffee ready at all times for the other projects in this book. For this chapter, we used an 11.5 oz. Maxwell House coffee can.

Preparing the can

It's time to get the can ready to be converted into a directional antenna. You can do this in two steps: preparation and cleaning.

Step 1: Preparing the can opening

The coffee can you purchased probably has a plastic cover on the top and a metal cover protecting the coffee freshness. Remove the plastic lid and put it aside; you will use it later.

You will also want to make sure that the can itself is intact with no indentations. Most cans will have ridges around the circumference of the can which are okay; you just want to make sure that it has not been dropped or mishandled. These indentations or dents can affect the efficiency of the can.

The coffee can will be sealed in one of two ways. With many of the older coffee cans, you needed to open the can with a can opener and discard the removed lid. If this is the coffee can you have, make sure that you grind down or file the inside edge of the can so that it is smooth.

If it's a newer can, it will have a thick tin foil covering with a ring to pull the cover off. Simply remove the cover and discard it.

Step 2: Cleaning the can

While having coffee grounds in the antenna will not affect its operation much, it sure can make a mess of things, so make sure that you clean the can out well. Also make sure that you clean the opening of any foreign objects, such as glue, pieces of the original tin or tin foil cover. The coffee can should now look similar to Figure 3-5.

Figure 3-5click on image for full view

Where to drill

We will be using a copper wedge as the driven element or radiator. The location and length of this element is extremely important. Although we will not be going too deeply into the math here, it's important to understand where this driven element is to be installed.

The rule of thumb is that the driven element should be at one quarter of the "closed-space wavelength" from the inside edge of the can when the connector is installed. The difficulty here is that the closed-space wavelength will vary based on can and radiator dimensions.

Table 3-1 shows some of these dimensions for channels 1, 6, and 11 using two different types of radiators. A narrow-band pole, and wideband wedge. The wideband wedge needs to be built only for Channel 6 because it operates well across the entire Wi-Fi range of frequencies.

On our can, with an inner diameter of 100 millimeters, this offset was slightly more than 1 inch or 27mm. Once you have this measurement, it is time to prepare the hole in the can where the N-Connector is to be installed. Remember to measure this carefully, because a mistake means you need to buy and use more coffee.

Step 1: Measuring the distance to the opening

As mentioned above, measuring the distance to the opening is critical to the operation and efficiency of the antenna. The old saying "measure twice and cut once" is also true here. But instead, remember to "measure twice and drill once." Measure the correct distance from the top of the ridge at the bottom of the can as shown in Figure 3-6.

Figure 3-6click on image for full view

Caution: When you measure this distance, disregard the bottom lip of the can. This crimped edge of the can has no influence on the interior workings of the waveguide. You are only interested in the bottom material of the can which becomes the back of your can antenna.

Step 2: Starting small

There are several ways to get the hole for the N-Connector the right size. The method you use is up to you. The final hole should be the diameter of the N-Connector stem.

In one method you can drill a small hole and work your way up to the desired hole size. Another method, which is more time consuming, is to use a nail to make the initial hole and use a file or cutters to enlarge the hole. If you use this method, make sure you don't dent the side of the can. The can should stay completely round. We drilled the hole using a 3/4 inch drill bit, as shown in Figure 3-7.

Figure 3-7click on image for full view

Step 3: Preparing for the connector

There are different types of N-Connectors that you can use for this project. The type does not really matter. As you can see from Figure 3-8, our connector had 4 screw holes (one at each corner). The best way to ensure that the connector is installed properly is to insert it into the opening you created in Step 2, line it up, and mark out the holes for the 4 mounting screws. Once this is done, you can drill them with a drill of the same diameter as the mounting screws.

Figure 3-8click on image for full view

Step 4: Finishing the Hole

The final step in preparing the N-Connector hole is cleaning it. Using a small file, make sure that there are no edges or burrs around the openings. This will ensure a tight fit when the connector is inserted and connected to the coffee can.

Fitting the radiating element

One of the most important parts of the antenna is the radiating element. While different shapes will change the way the antenna works, its signal strength, and its efficiency, it is not super critical if you do not get it bang on.

There are really three shapes the radiating element can be (see Figure 3-9):

1. Round 2. Wedge 3. Cone

Figure 3-9click on image for full view

While the cone shape is the most efficient, it is also the hardest one to make. So, we will only go into detail for the round element and wedge element. The round element is very simple to make since it is simply the core copper conductor from an LMR-400 coaxial cable (used extensively in Chapter 1). The round element also has the most narrow frequency band. If you create an antenna using the round element, effective power will drop considerably across all of the channels.

The wedge element is a bit more complex to make, but it has great coverage of the Wi-Fi channels. It's a little less efficient than the cone, but not significantly. The wedge is worth the extra time and effort, and it's what we use when playing with the can antenna toy.

Tip: The cone element follows closely with the wedge shape in dimensions. If you want to try to make one, use the same dimensions and spacing as the wedge. (6mm diameter at the top, 1mm diameter at the bottom.)

The length of the radiating element is important. Table 3-2 shows specific lengths for your radiating element. Note that can dimensions do not factor into the element size.

With our wedge antenna, we needed the radiating element to be 24 mm in length. The diagram in Figure 3-10 shows how to measure the radiating element.

Figure 3-10click on image for full view

Caution: Radiator element length is measured from the end of the connector jack, not the length of the piece of copper alone. Wait to make the final cut until after soldering the connector in place and measuring the connector and element together.

A Round radiating element

Making the round radiating element is extremely simple because it is the core copper conductor from a coaxial cable. To make the round radiating element, follow these steps:

Step 1: Cut too much

Once you know the length of the radiating element, you will need to make sure you have the correct length. Having said that, make sure that you don't trim the Coaxial cable to the exact length of the element. Instead, cut extra. Starting with a piece of Coaxial cable that is twice the final length is a good starting point, as shown Figure 3-11.

Figure 3-11click on image for full view

Step 2: Strip the insulation

Using a single sided razor blade, strip the outer jacket, inner shield, and dielectric core as described in Chapter 1. As Figure 3-12 illustrates, you will be left with just the core copper conductor. Make sure that you add a little bit to the length of the connector with respect to the length determined in Table 3-2. to make sure that the radiating element can be inserted and soldered into the N-Connector.

Figure 3-12click on image for full view

Step 3: Cut to length

Now that you have the core conductor to work with, start by trimming one side as square with the edge as possible. Then measure the desired distance from that trimmed edge and cut the final length. Ensure that you take into account the portion of the conductor that will fit into the N-connector body.

If you are not sure about length, wait until after you solder the conductor into the body before making any final length adjustments.

A Wedge Radiating Element

Making a wedge radiating element is a not a complex process but it does take some talent to solder it to the connector.

To cover the Wi-Fi spectrum, the wedge radiating element needs to be 1 mm wide at the base (where it connects to the N-Connector) and 6 mm at the tip. Figure 3-13 shows a diagram of the wedge.

Figure 3-13:click on image for full view

One way to make this wedge is to start with a copper embossing sheet (this is available in most arts and crafts stores). Simply trace out the desired wedge shape of the radiating element and cut to size with either a knife or strong scissors. We created the wedge in Figure 3-14 using the one foot square copper embossing sheet shown.

Figure 3-14click on image for full view

A second way to make this wedge shape is to use a hammer to hammer out the shape. As you can imagine, this process is more work intensive, but requires less precision on your part. The object in Figure 3-15 is a cross between the wedge and round element. The forgiving nature of this antenna design allows for a good bit of fudging.

Simply use a hammer to hammer out the desired shape. This process produces a semi-wedge shaped element that is not as efficient as the "true" wedge radiating element, but is better than the round radiating element.

Final Construction and Weatherizing

This is the final stage of the coffee can antenna project. Time to put it all together!

Step 1: Building the N-Connector

Putting this together is fairly straight forward. The radiating element should fit inside the opening of the N-Connector. This might be a snug fit, but that's okay. If you find that the radiating element will not fit properly, sand one end of the connector using some sandpaper until the element fits.

When the fit is snug, solder the radiating element to the connector to make a permanent and electrically strong connection. Soldering even a small amount will make the difference between a great antenna and a lousy one.

Once this is done, you should have a completed Connector/Element assembly similar to the one shown in Figure 3-16.

Figure 3-16click on image for full view

Step 2: Mounting the N-Connector

You can now insert the completed assembly into the hole you drilled in the side of the coffee can. As we mentioned, your N-Connector might be different than the one we used. Ours had 4 mounting holes. Mount the Connector assembly to the coffee can using the screws provided. Make sure that the screws are just the right length or only slightly longer. If they are too long and protrude into the can more than a few millimeters, the signal will be adversely affected. Figure 3-17 shows the connector mounted to the can.

Figure 3-17click on image for full view

Also ensure that the wedge's flat edge is parallel to the bottom base of the can (see Figure 3-18). This isn't critical, but it looks better!

Figure 3-18click on image for full view

Step 3: Weatherizing the Antenna

Weatherizing the antenna is easy. If you plan on using the antenna outdoors, you may want to spray paint the exterior of the antenna with a rust proof paint. To protect the interior of the antenna, simply cover the opening with the original plastic cover that came with the can (you may want to glue this cover on).